Jul 12
When it comes to planetary accessories, we’ve got our moon, but lovely as it is, it doesn’t hold a candle to some of the flashier bits of flair out there. I’m talking about rings. Here’s where they come from.
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Jul 12
Audible for Android gets design overhaul, improved library management and more
Posted in: Today's Chili
Amazon knows that although a number people prefer (or need, in some cases ) audio over visuals to absorb published works, it’s still very important to provide a pleasant experience on the design front. In light of this, the Audible Android app has now been updated with a completely redesigned user interface, bringing along an enhanced navigating experience and an easier, more simplified way to manage your library. Audible listeners will also see a new “chapter-level” progress bar within the player, while other under-the-hood tweaks were made to improve the general performance and stability of the application. You don’t have to wait to download version 1.5, as it’s available as we speak from the Google Play store.
Filed under: Misc, Software, Amazon
Via: Android Police
Source: Google Play
Jul 12
Meet e-David, the robot that paints
Posted in: Today's Chili
(Credit: Video screenshot by Michelle Starr/CNET Australia)
We usually call a robot that can produce images a printer, but e-David is special. Created by a team at the University of Konstanz in Germany, E-David is a painter bot — not the kind that spray-paints auto parts, but the more artistic variety.
E-David doesn’t come up with images on its own, but instead takes a picture of what it wants to copy and takes it from there. It doesn’t have to be programmed with directions that tell it how to paint, either; it uses something called “visual optimization” to make its own decisions. After each brush stroke, e-David takes a picture, and its software calculates whether the image needs to be lightened or darkened, and where.
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Jul 12
Nothing ruins a night out like getting caught smoking a blunt by event security. Sure you could just get stoned before you get to the club, like an adult, or you can just bring the inhaler-shaped Puffit in your pocket. No one will be the wiser. But man, at what a cost.
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Jul 12
In each issue of Distro, editor-in-chief Tim Stevens publishes a wrap-up of the week in news.
Nokia has been teasing a zoomable Windows Phone smartphone for what seems like ages now, and finally it has been revealed. It’s the Nokia Lumia 1020, stepping up another 100 over the 920 thanks to the addition of a 41-megapixel, backside-illuminated sensor sitting behind a six-element Zeiss lens. Video capture is 1080p and the cameraphone intriguingly offers full manual control, but it’s basically a Lumia 920 beyond that, with a 4.5-inch, 1,280 x 768 display and a 1.5GHz dual-core Snapdragon processor.
So, naturally, the draw is that camera, and while we’ve seen some promising early results from stills and videos, we’re obviously going to have to spend more time with the thing to see if it’s worth the considerable dent it will make in your pocket. Admittedly, it’s far more pocketable than Samsung’s Galaxy S4 Zoom, but it remains to be seen whether megapixels can really sell phones. We’ll find out on July 26th, when the phone will be available at AT&T for $300.
Gallery: Nokia Lumia 1020 hands-on
Jul 12
Life-size Boba Fett Action Figure Oil Painting: Hang It Next to Han Solo in Carbonite
Posted in: Today's ChiliI grew up with the Star Wars action figures so I’m a sucker for anything related to these characters. And this piece of amazing art should be hanging on my wall. It is the Boba Fett action figure, in all it’s plastic glory, painted life-sized and looking very authentic indeed.
Mats Gunnarsson created this incredible oil painting, which seems to have all of the details spot on. Mats takes vintage toys and comic books and turns them into oil paintings. It’s his thing. And obviously he is excellent at it.
This Boba Fett painting is his latest work and I am in love with it. Check out Mats’ website for more awesome action figure paintings.
[via Obvious Winner]
Jul 12
At this point in time, everyone is properly upset about the National Security Agency’s PRISM program and the seemingly endless surveillance it enabled. But guess what? It’s not the only one.
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Jul 12
The folks at JVC have revealed an imposingly simple looking line of televisions this week intent on making the world understand that they’re clear on consumer wishes for an absolute lack of bezel. The hero in this line is an LED-LCD TV with a 47-inch display ringing in at 1080p with Edge-lit technology. This machine is also internet ready with streaming services aplenty.
The JVC BlackSapphire SL works with JVC I.C.E., that’s Internet Connected Experience, coming in with Netflix, SlingPlayer, Vudy, and Pandora right out of the box. This massive television works to out-do the slightly less expensive JVC SP (Sapphire) series with passive 3D abilities working with four pairs of glasses that come in the box.
This set is controlled with a “flippable” QWERTY remote control with a dedicated Netflix shortcut button. You’ll be able to connect with three HDMI inputs, USB media port, and a series of composite video inputs. For those users wishing to conserve power and desire only the audio abilities of this machine (however strange that may seem), there’s also a 3.5mm so-called “music port” for use with an Audio Only mode included with the setup.
This television series also comes in a 42-inch iteration, while both versions work with a 120Hz processing engine to back up their adaptive backlight abilities under the hood. The smaller television JVC SL42B-C will ring in at $799 USD while the larger JVC SL47B-C will cost you a cool $899.
Both televisions in this series will be coming in the summer of 2013, and the whole lot will be created with Taiwanese company Amtran. You’ll have a difficult time finding a series of televisions with a look that’s more daunting!
VIA: CNET
JVC BlackSapphire SL HDTV series screams flagship with stark appearance is written by Chris Burns & originally posted on SlashGear.
© 2005 – 2013, SlashGear. All right reserved.
Jul 12
Earlier this week, the fire department in Ibiza, Spain, were called to the local hospital to assist with a medical emergency. A man had trapped his penis and testicles in "armour plating." Armour plating is a sex toy. The firemen were required because they were the only ones with a big enough saw to get it off.
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Jul 12
This week we have some strange and wonderful time capsule news, including a freshly welded capsule that will travel the world in the Navy’s newest aircraft carrier, an 1877 stowaway that spent the last century in the smoking section, and one county in Kansas that (thanks to a time capsule!) discovered Bank of America owes them $60,000.
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